SC Orders Against Cutting Down Of Trees At Jessore Road

Kolkata: The Supreme Court has ordered against the cutting down of trees at Jessore Road for an indefinite period.

The hearing was on Thursday under the division bench of Justice M.B. Lakur and Justice Dipak Gupta. The case was registered by the Jessore Road Gach Bachao Committee. The case is being fought by Shamim Ahmed and Bikashranjan Bhattacharya.

The division bench of Chief Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya and Justice Arijit
Banerjee of the Calcutta High Court had given permission for the cutting down of
trees of Jessore Road on August 31.

The state government wants to construct five rail overbridges in NH 35 in between Barasat and Bongaon. To complete this work, 356 trees will have to be cut down. But the locals and several human rights organizations opposed to the felling of trees.

APDR, a human rights organisation, filed a PIL in the Calcutta High Court. On this
the HC said that the state government will be able to cut those 356 trees. But they
will have to plant 5 times more trees of what will be cut.